Patients with pre-existing health issues

In general, low-carb and keto diets are safe for most individuals. As we will describe in this guide, certain pre-existing medical conditions may require extra attention and consideration, but they do not preclude carbohydrate restriction.

First, we will discuss the few situations that are not compatible with a low-carb diet. After that, we will explore the medical conditions in which carbohydrate restriction can be employed using careful judgment and consideration.

Conditions incompatible with carbohydrate restriction

Advanced renal disease

Patients with advanced renal disease who are not yet on dialysis usually need low-protein diets that are largely incompatible with carbohydrate restriction.¹ It’s not that it can’t be used, but it is enough of a challenge that we do not recommend it.

Rare genetic disorders

Certain rare disorders of fat metabolism are also contraindications to very-low-carb diets.² These include carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) deficiency; short-chain, medium-chain, or long-chain acyl dehydrogenase deficiency (SCAD, MCAD or LCAD); and pyruvate carboxylase deficiency. Fortunately, these are very rare conditions that are usually diagnosed at a young age. Adult patients are unlikely to present without a pre-existing diagnosis of these severe fat metabolism disorders.

From a lipid standpoint, hyperchylomicronemia and lipoprotein lipase deficiency are contraindications due to the inability to properly carry out fat digestion and metabolism. These conditions likewise usually present early in life, and it is rare to encounter a new diagnosis as an adult. However, if you are caring for a patient with very high triglyceride levels (above 800 mg/dL), you may want to consider specialized evaluation prior to increasing the amount of fat in the diet.

Certain critical and unstable conditions

Patients presenting with critical and unstable medical conditions — such as acute pancreatitis, acute liver failure, gout attacks, and others — are not candidates for an immediate start of a low-carbohydrate dietary intervention. The acute condition should resolve before therapeutic carbohydrate restriction is considered.

Common conditions that are compatible with carbohydrate restriction

Other conditions, as detailed below, are much more common and do not preclude the use of carbohydrate restriction.

1. History of gout/hyperuricemia

Can patients with a history of gout do a low-carb or keto diet? Yes, definitely, but they may be at increased risk of a gout flare in the first six to eight weeks.³ Therefore, patients with a history of gout may need to pay extra attention to hydration status, and possibly even consider prophylactic medication.⁴

Over the long term, uric acid levels tend to decrease on low carb, along with other markers of metabolic syndrome. One study showed uric acid going down significantly after six months on low carb.⁵ This suggests carbohydrate restriction may decrease the risk of gout. Studies find similar results with bariatric surgery, thereby suggesting that weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity are mechanisms that likely contribute to the decreased risk of gout attacks.⁶

There is also preliminary evidence that the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) may directly reduce gout flares, as well as decrease inflammation by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation.⁷

 

Will a low-carb diet precipitate gout in some patients without a history of gout?

While short-term studies show a temporary rise in uric acid during the first few weeks of starting a strict low-carb diet, doctors who regularly treat patients with low-carb diets typically do not notice an increase in gout episodes.⁸ Any increase in risk during the first few weeks is likely small or moderate, with uric acid soon returning to baseline levels or lower.⁹

 

What else can be done to prevent or minimize a gout flare?

Along with medication support, as stated above, doctors can encourage their gout patients to:

1. Minimize sugar intake: Gout is strongly related to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, conditions in which hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are known to contribute to elevated uric acid levels. Therefore, it stands to reason that high consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates, which can lead to higher insulin levels, would contribute to this underlying cause of gout.¹⁰
2. Reduce alcohol consumption: Beer and other high-carb alcoholic beverages are of particular concern, but all alcohol consumption should likely be minimized in patients with a history of gout.¹¹
3. Drink water with lime or lemon: Adding one to two tablespoons of unsweetened lime or lemon juice to water may minimize risk of a gout flare. This can be done throughout the day in the first six to eight weeks of a low-carb diet. One small pilot study showed citric acid can neutralize uric acid and may reduce uric acid levels.¹²

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2. History of gallbladder issues

Traditional medical advice often maintains that a diet high in fatty foods can predispose patients to the formation of gallstones, gallbladder attacks, and even the eventual need to remove the gallbladder.

Does this mean patients with a history of gallstones or gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) cannot eat a low-carb, higher-fat diet? No, not at all.

In fact, evidence is mounting that a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates may increase the risk of gallstones.¹³ The likely explanation for this relationship is that a low-fat diet causes bile to sit idle in the gallbladder – triggering the creation of stones – rather than being released at regular intervals for dietary fat digestion.¹⁴ After stones are formed, when a higher-fat food is then consumed and bile is released from the gallbladder, the stones can get stuck in the bile duct. This typically causes extreme pain in the top-right portion of the abdomen, radiating to the back. Several studies have confirmed the link between weight loss on low-fat diets and gallstones.¹⁵

 

What doctors need to know

The following advice may help your patients with gallbladder issues on a low-carb diet:

1. Asymptomatic patients: If stones have been visualized or confirmed but the patient has no symptoms, there is usually no need to do anything. These stones may never become a clinical issue.¹⁶  
2. Symptomatic patients:  If patients experience severe pain after eating low-carb or keto meals, they may need to reduce their fat intake or break it into smaller portions throughout the day. In theory, coconut oil and MCT oil may help as they are more readily absorbed, and they do not seem to require pancreatic lipase or stimulate bile release.¹⁷ However, the benefit of changing dietary oils is mostly anecdotal, without clear consensus; additionally, it would be cumbersome to replace all oils with MCT or coconut oil. Nonetheless, it may be worth trying all these interventions prior to recommending drugs or elective surgery. 
3. Patients without a gallbladder: A low-carb diet can be consumed when the gallbladder has already been removed, but patients may need to eat smaller, more frequent meals with smaller amounts of fat at any one time, at least in the beginning.¹⁸ The liver still makes bile to dissolve the fat, but the gallbladder can no longer concentrate and store it. Instead, bile is released directly into the intestine. Consuming high-fiber, low-carb foods with meals, such as above-ground vegetables or keto bread, may help slow the digestion of fat and reduce diarrhea.¹⁹

   There is some evidence that ursodiol, a gallstone dissolving agent, can help patients with post-cholecystectomy pain.²⁰

 

Will a low-carb or keto diet improve or dissolve gallstones?

No formal study has yet tested these diets on people with gallstones.

However, anecdotally, many people report having their gallstone symptoms eventually disappear on a low-carb diet, sometimes after an initial gallstone attack.²¹

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3. History of kidney stones or kidney disease

Although the evidence is inconclusive, high sodium and animal protein intake are thought to be associated with increased risk of kidney stones.²² Because some, but not all, people starting a low-carb or keto diet may need to increase their salt intake to reduce the symptoms of induction or keto flu, this may raise concerns about the development of kidney stones.²³ However, as far as we know, research to date has not found that kidney stones occur more often among those who follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet.²⁴

Instead, most reports of kidney stones are anecdotal from adults who develop a kidney stone soon after starting a low-carb diet. However, since kidney stones are very common — occurring in 10% of men and 7% of women in the US, the majority of whom eat a standard American diet — the timing of a stone forming might have nothing to do with beginning a low-carb diet.

If kidney stones do form while following a low-carb diet, make sure your patient stays well-hydrated and avoids large amounts of high-oxalate foods such as chocolate, spinach, okra, Swiss chard, and rhubarb. Coffee also contains oxalate but the intake of caffeine is not related to increased risk for kidney stones.²⁵

Regarding kidney dysfunction, studies have shown no significant risk with moderate- or high-protein intake in the absence of pre-existing kidney disease.²⁶ In fact, low-protein diets may benefit those with advanced kidney disease by reducing uremia-induced symptoms, as opposed to slowing the decline in the glomerular filtration rate.²⁷ Therefore, low-carb diets, even those with high protein intake, are likely safe for all except those with advanced kidney disease.

For more details, see our evidence-based guide, What you need to know about a low-carb diet and your kidneys.

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4. History of bariatric surgery

Increasingly, more patients are coming to low-carb diets after having had bariatric surgery. A low-carb or keto diet can be a valuable addition to sustain permanent weight loss and diabetes remission.²⁸

Avoidance of sugary and starchy foods and adherence to a strict low-carb or ketogenic diet may eliminate the strong cravings, feelings of sugar addiction, and compulsion for binge eating that sometimes underlie patients’ past struggles with obesity.²⁹

Increasingly, evidence shows that sugar can have many addictive qualities, including causing the release of endorphins and providing pleasure and significant, but often dysfunctional, emotional regulation.³⁰ Research also shows a strong risk for addiction transference from food to other substances and behaviors – such as alcohol and gambling – in patients after bariatric surgery, a phenomenon that may be related to the addictive qualities of sugary foods.³¹

In addition to following a low-carb or ketogenic diet for long-term success, bariatric surgery patients may require their doctor’s help in addressing emotional triggers for eating. This may include helping patients deal with feelings of anxiety, stress, depression, anger, fear, pleasure, boredom, and other uncomfortable emotions that they may have tried to cope with by eating sugary, starchy foods.

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5. History of high LDL or statin use

How should you approach a patient with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol? The first important concept to understand is that low-carb and keto diets do not raise LDL cholesterol in the majority of individuals. Studies show no overall net increase in LDL in most people, and some studies show a slight decline.³² Although LDL does increase in some people, they are in the minority. In fact, most people see a net improvement in cardiovascular health markers with low-carb nutrition, as it can naturally increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, decrease triglycerides, and improve the size and density of LDL particles.³³

You can read more about evaluating cholesterol within the context of a low-carb diet in our guide, “Low-carb cholesterol basics.”

If someone has an increase in LDL after starting low carb, then we recommend putting that into perspective along with their overall cardiovascular risk. Improved blood glucose, blood pressure, weight, and other health parameters may or may not mitigate the impact of increased LDL. For instance, one study showed an improved overall 10-year cardiovascular risk estimation despite an increase in LDL.³⁴

In short, elevated LDL should not be a contraindication to low carb, but rather an opportunity to assess and address overall cardiovascular risk. However, significant elevations of LDL after starting a low-carb diet – even in the setting of overall improved metabolic health – may necessitate a change in diet and/or the addition of cholesterol-lowering medication. We simply do not have evidence to prove that very-high LDL isn’t dangerous in the aforementioned situation, and individualization of care is needed.

What if your patient is already taking a statin? Should that affect your decision to prescribe a low-carb diet? Definitely not. In fact, many doctors see a statin combined with a low-carb diet as an effective way to treat patients at high risk for heart disease, given that the combination can improve diabetes, metabolic disease, obesity, and lower LDL all at the same time.³⁵

The overall benefit may lower your patient’s risk enough that a statin is no longer warranted based on 10-year cardiovascular risk scores. Although we do not have studies to evaluate stopping statins in this setting, it is an intriguing question to address if the patient’s risk drops below the 5% 10-year risk estimation.

As with any medication, continuing or stopping it requires a detailed evaluation of the potential risks and benefits, sometimes including additional testing to assess cardiovascular risk. For instance, current guidelines recommend a coronary calcium score be taken into consideration when statin use is considered for those at intermediate risk of heart disease. This is because evidence suggests there is limited benefit from statins with a coronary calcium score of less than 100.³⁶

In conclusion, elevated LDL and/or use of a statin is still compatible with starting, and benefiting from, carbohydrate restriction.

These Diet Doctor guides may help you and your patient re-frame the risk-benefit analysis:

Low carb LDL hyper-responders
Is elevated LDL cholesterol dangerous?
How to lower LDL on a low carb diet
Should you be on statins?

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